Sport Banners! FIFA Art Printing

Soccer is a craze among people of all ages in many societies. Onset of FIFA world cup fires the excitement of soccer fans throughout the world. Where hundreds of lucky ones manage to reach the host country for cherishing the game live, thousands of others satiate their passion by throwing soccer parties, organizing massive screenings, buying sports gear and decorating their premises with soccer banners.

Banners in general are widely used in adding color and charm to many occasions. Mega sports events are no exception. Sport banners are widely used for adorning screening sights and sports parties. When most soccer matches have an electric atmosphere with crazy fans chanting in favor of their respective teams, everyone wants to show loyalty and support whilst being counted. Though many fans get hostile and violent in display of their passion, you can express your support and allegiance to your favorite teams and players in a civilized manner through art banners.

FIFA world cup is one of the most passionately followed international events. Many soccer fans spend their savings to enjoy the tournament live. Imagine the pleasure of flaunting your FIFA sports pennant sitting among the keen audiences in the stadium. It is evident that players derive a lot of inspiration and strength from their supporters in the crowds. This is why fans often use to design banners and pennants to boost the morale of the team they support. If you are lucky enough to avail such a chance, make sure to get your well designed soccer banners, besides other preparatory measures.

Sports banners, pennants and burgees can enhance the pleasure of a game many folds even if you are not sitting in the stadium. Many a times, friends, families and colleagues gather together to watch the matches during world cup tournament. Such gatherings can equally use sports banners to give an air of festivity to the event. If you are attending a soccer party in the midst of the tournament, it is the most apt event to use all your sports gear and hoist soccer banners and pennants.

Local and regional soccer teams and associations also get energized during FIFA world cup. Many players playing in the local teams dream of playing the FIFA world cup one day. Several school and college soccer teams schedule their matches around FIFA world cup. Grad school teams also print banners to brighten their inter school soccer matches. If you are a member or supporter of any such team, make sure to make an impression with well designed and printed sports banners.

Besides crazy soccer fans, many businesses can also benefit by printing sports banners. For instance, if you deal in sports fan gear, you have to make a maximum business during soccer season. You can print large eye catchy fan gear sports banners to entice soccer fans into buying T-shirts, helmets, badges and other sports gear with FIFA insignia printed on them.

Soccer banners can be designed in different sizes and colors. The sizes of banners are mostly decided depending upon the location. Backdrop banners are generally large and are designed in bright colors to enhance the visibility. Most fans, however, prefer to print their banners in their team colors. Team's insignia along with FIFA's insignia are also printed on soccer banners. Sports banners can be generic so that they can be used over and over again. On the other hand, more enthusiastic fans design more personalized banners that feature names and photos of their favorite players besides dates, slogans and personalized quotes. More personalized banners often grab more attention than generic ones, but they cannot be repeatedly used.


By Josh Makkaveli

Violins: Mass Produced Versus Hand Crafted

When it comes to student violins, the axiom that "you get what you pay for" has never been truer. There exist two basic types of student violins: Those that are mass-produced student violins of inferior quality and workmanship by several less-than-skilled luthiers and then there are those that are mostly handcrafted by a single, skilled maker or a small team of other skilled makers. The difference in quality between the two kinds is immense, as are the costs of the instruments they produce.

The mass-produced violins you might find for sale at an online violin shop are made in factories, these days usually in China. These lower-priced violins are made on a strict minimum budget. That is the only way these cheap violins can be profitable. Large teams of makers, working very cheaply, do most of the wood carving in an assembly line environment and the wood that is being carved is usually low quality wood.

The wood used to produce a violin is very important. High quality violins - even if they are "student violins" - are made with high quality wood dried and aged for at least 5 or 6 years or longer. Over the years, violinmakers have unanimously agreed that aged and closed-grained Spruced is best for the front of a violin and Maple is best for the back, neck and ribs. The rest of the fiddle is made from Ebony, which is a very hard wood, and used to produce pegs, fingerboard, tailpiece and end button.

Mass-produced student violins are produced with far inferior woods that are not aged and are not pleasing to the eye. Such violins could never produce a beautiful, powerful tone. The parts that are typically ebony are substituted with a different inferior wood that is dyed black to look like ebony. Such inferior woods often make the violin unplayable as the wood alternately shrinks and swells with dry or wet conditions, making the pegs unusable. The materials are also much softer than ebony and are much more prone to breaking through normal use.

Since there is a budget that mass-produced violins must adhere to, it will come as no surprise that the cases, student violin bows and accessories often sold with these violins are also of inferior quality. The strings that come on the violin will be subpar and need to be replaced immediately, as will the complimentary cake of violin rosin.

Handcrafted violins that are not produced in an assembly line factory by cheap labor, on the other hand, are a different story. Overall, more care is taken during the production of the instrument. A single person or small team of skilled makers who specialize in one or more areas of violinmaking, such as scroll carving or rib bending, carves a hand-made violin by hand. These violins take much longer to produce. The violinmaker typically uses a template that assures that the violin meets minimum acoustic standards and certain physical dimensions required to produce an acceptable or even good tone.

The carefully selected wood that is used for hand-made violins is going to be older and higher quality. Higher quality glues and varnishes will be used and the parts of the violin that are supposed to be made of ebony will be made of lower quality ebony but not of wood that has been "ebonized".



By Nathan Weiss

Everything You Need to Know About Leveling in ESO

You were put on this earth to achieve your greatest self, to live out your purpose, and to do it courageously. - Dr. Steve Maraboli

I have a very special friend one whom I love dearly. You might think it's my mother, my sister, my father or my brother. You might even think it's a cousin or a close friend. Although I love all of these people dearly, they are not the subjects of my affection for our purpose today.

Hey folks, gamers being gamers, there are dozens of ESO leveling guides and whatnot popping up on the net, promising to tell you everything you need to know to get to level 50 in two weeks or something like that. You don't need all that. All you need to know about leveling in ESO is right here. Enjoy and game on!

1) ESO leveling is like leveling in most MMOs, you gather xp by completing questing, killing enemies, and exploring. If all you want to do is get to level 50 as quickly as possible, just focus on questing. You can find details of which quests are the most 'valuable' in ESO leveling guides and online wikias, but the main thing is to just focus on questing--it will get you more xp faster than any other part of ESO.

2) When you level you will get one stat point to put in Health, Stamina or Magicka. Health is how much damage you can take before you die, Stamina powers your physical abilities (including Block, Dodge, and Interrupt), Magicka powers your magical abilities. Distribute your stat points according to your preferred playstyle. Make sure if you have a lot of Magicka powered skills you are putting more of your stat points into Magicka, and if you have a lot of Stamina powers skills more of your stat points are going into Stamina. Remember--unless you want to play a 'squishy' caster, Health is not a dump stat.

3) Do not waste time farming gold for a mount. Yes, needing to walk everywhere is annoying and takes a while. You will spend more time farming gold than you will save being able to ride to your quests. You'll get plenty of gold from your quests and can get a mount later. You can't get back the time you waste farming gold.

4) If you want to be able to do all the neat stuff available to level 50 characters, than you cannot just power your way through to level 50 as fast as possible. The devs for ESO wanted to encourage exploration and wider engagement, so they specifically designed the game to include important stuff you will not find if you just farm quests to enough xp to hit 50. In fact, you may not even be able to hit level 50 without some of this stuff.

Skyshards--Collecting Skyshards gives your character extra skill points. This is not something to be lightly ignored. ESO expects you to get a good amount of your skill points from Skyshards (and the rarer books), and skipping this part of the game will leave you without the skills that you need to fight effectively at high levels.

Crafting materials--Crafting is a bigger part of ESO than most games. Basically, there is a lot of powerful gear that you can't get as loot on quests and raids. You can either craft it yourself, craft something just as awesome and trade for it, or waste time farming gold in hopes that you will be able to buy it. Do spend hours tracking down crafting materials in the wilderness (if nothing else there are some strict carry limits in ESO), but if you see crafting materials as you travel to and from quests, pick them up. If you pass a crafting location, stop and craft some items. Yeah, this will slow you down a bit, but (again) not as much as farming massive amounts of gold will.

Hidden Crafting locations--In addition to the benefits of general crafting, there are several locations hidden throughout Tamriel that give special crafting bonuses. These bonuses give equipment abilities not found anywhere else. So if you want to take advantage of these special abilities, you'll need to either pay someone else to go to one of these locations, or go there and craft for yourself.

Hidden quest lines and dungeons--And of course, the devs hid some very nice quest lines and dungeons, with very useful loot and high xp rewards, back in the hills where you won't find them unless you step away from the obvious quest lines and go looking.
5) Skills level too--Skills increase in power by gaining xp and leveling up. Watch how often you use your skills, and make sure that the skills you are using are ones that will be just as useful at high levels as they are now--because the skills you are using now are the ones that will be at high levels later.


By Alea Wilson

A Locked-In Purpose

The one I speak of is none other than my dog, man's best friend. His name is Prince and he is very special to me. He is a mixed breed between a shitzu and a poodle. He is a very loving, energetic, jealous, protective little guy. He's one of the smallest dogs, but has the biggest heart. He thinks he is the biggest dog there is, in his own little way he helps to protect our family by alerting us to every unknown person or object that happens to come across our path. But that's not why I'm talking about him today.

Prince, when ever I take him for a walk he has a single purpose a single goal. Now I never looked at it this way until recently and that's law of attraction, attracting into your life whatever you think about. You see things in a whole new light. Your dominant thoughts begin to manifest themselves in your life. And what I saw in Prince was a determination, a drive, a motivation that most people do not have. What I saw in Prince was PURPOSE. He purposed within himself that he would mark his territory no matter what.

Prince didn't care what was trying to stop him, what he had to go through and get over. If there was a fence he'd dig a hole under and come up on the other side. When he's chained up and can't get free his mind is on ONE THING marking his territory and the minute he gets an opportunity he takes it. If there is a hurricane, I guarantee you he'll go out to mark his territory.

A lot of us don't have that kind of direction in our lives we are going in every direction possible all at the same time and sometimes we don't even know it. We don't know what we want, what to do, how to do it or when to do it. They end up like nomads - all over the place.

I believe everybody was born with a purpose for their life. In the grand scheme of things that purpose is to make somebody else's life better it's that simple. But specific to you, there is something you can do that nobody else can do quite like you can. Nobody and I mean nobody can do what you've been birthed to do the way you can do it. The way you might sing an A flat, the way you dribble a basketball, the way you write, the way you smile, the way you speak, the way you GIVE, the way you LOVE.

And I'm telling you if you've never heard it before you can have anything you want to have, you can do anything you want to do you can be anything you want to be once you operate in your purpose. You are powerful beyond measure.

But the question is why do some people seemingly have this purpose that I don't. What separates you from them? What do they have that you don't? The answer to that is nothing they've just found their door and they were able to lock themselves in. I don't know if you got that. They don't have anything you don't have, but they have developed a mindset, the "Locked-In Purpose" mindset. They have locked themselves into their purpose.

Let me Illustrate it to you there was a man way back in the day you might have heard of him, if you've seen him in a cartoon or movie they've probably depicted him with a nice big beard. He was pretty old, he had three sons and anytime you think about him you think about a massive boat. If you haven't guessed by now I'm talking about Noah and his ark.

When the flood came and the wicked people were scrambling about trying to get in but it was too late, he was locked in. The rains came down, but did not reach Noah and his family. The floods came, but didn't drown them. The winds came, but it did not capsize them.

This Locked-in Purpose mindset is a singleness of purpose. You allow nothing to distract you. It's like being focused, but not focus right, because you can break focus and you can lose your concentration. But you can't break purpose, you can't get through a locked door. And when you are locked in your purpose, distractions can't get to you, death won't stop you, being broke won't deter you, being homeless won't break you, getting dumped by a significant other won't depress you, failing a class won't make you give up. NOTHING can make you give up.

When you have a Locked-in Purpose mindset, nothing can stop you nothing can deter you. Life is hard and it's this singleness of purpose that's going to keep you going. I wish I could say that it was easy. I wish I could say you would have no struggles. I wish I could promise you tomorrow you will make every dream you've ever had a reality, but I can't.

But what I do believe and I will say this to everyone. All of us, ALL OF US have something that we are supposed to do, all of us have an innate goodness within us which gives us a responsibility to manifest our greatness. When you feel it in your gut to have something, do something, be something greater than yourself that's when you've found your purpose. At this point its not only possible to have your dream, but it's necessary so you can walk in your purpose. God has placed that dream in your heart as proof that you are going to have it. It's time for you to Lock-In on your purpose and go for it.

Call to action

You matter. You matter. YOU MATTER! Let that sink in for a moment. You were not put on this earth to suffer, you were not placed here to endure hardship forever, you were placed here on this earth to live, and live abundantly. You were placed here to be a force for good in the lives of others. You were placed to be successful, your struggles will become your testimony. So I need you to do me a HUGE favor. I need you to unlock your purpose I guarantee you if you begin to help people your unique way will come out in doing it. It might take you a day, a week, a year maybe longer to figure it out, but I guarantee you everything you go through in the process is going to prepare for what you are supposed to be doing. Operate in your purpose, lock yourself in like Noah was in the ark so that nothing can stop you no matter what. Outside of your purpose is ruin, but inside you will find rest and peace.

You are to be so locked into your purpose that no evil, your haters, those that want to see you fail, lives hard circumstances can't reach you. You are to be so locked into your purpose that when lives floods come to drown and fill your lungs with water so that you can't breath so it can snuff your life right out from under you. In your purpose those floods will just lift you heavenward. You are to be so locked into your purpose that when the winds of strife come your way your locked in purpose will use it as a cool calm current to propel you to greatness.



By Paul A Scavella

Joe Orton Musical

Joe Orton And The Dark Passion Of Kenneth Halliwell

The musical production, Orton, previewed on the 2nd of April, is a vibrant, enthusiastic affair with slick choreography and tight direction from Tim McArthur. Halliwell, played by Andrew Rowney, is nerdy and neurotic, but experienced enough to show young Orton the ropes on the London gay scene in the early 1960's. In this performance, Joe Orton, played as a cheeky chappie by Richard Dawes is oddly eclipsed by Halliwell's character, despite the script emphasising the opposite.To some extent the production succeeds in showing the complex dynamic of the relationship. Rowney's Halliwell underplays the psychotic aspect of the character and personally, I needed a more daring interpretation than the mannered version seen on stage. Even so, the tragic isolation of the character towards the end of the play is very moving, so it is no surprise when he is finally driven to committing murder and suicide.

For this epic moment, Kenneth Halliwell is positioned with his back to the audience and there is no real explanation as to why he simply flops to the floor with his murder weapon, 'unsheathed'. I felt an annoying lack of courage here, a failure to look at this catastrophic event, which is, after all, what the play is leading up to, when following an argument, Halliwell kills the sleeping Orton.

Meanwhile, the script focuses on the poisonous aspect of the relationship between the two men, and the fact that Kenneth Halliwell was the 'going places' whereas Joe Orton was the young lover, 'tagging along'. The suggestion is made throughout the play that Joe Orton plagiarised his best material from Kenneth, turning it into theatrical gold. So the reversal of roles - aided and abetted by bitchy acquaintances such as Kenneth Williams - led to the pair's tragic downfall.

The Stag theatre is a challenging space to mount any production, particularly with trains rumbling overhead. I suspect that the production managers are aiming for a snug-salon type of arrangement, but occasionally the camp, twiddly-tweeness grates, particularly when you want more insight into Orton and Halliwell's relationship.

The song and dance numbers are well performed by a fun and professional troupe of actors. The music is well- timed, and on this particular evening the addition of percussion to Chris Huntley's piano-keyboards, lent an 'off- Broadway' atmosphere. (The guest drummer was Jojo Ruocco from New Jersey)

Verdict; Entertaining musical, good score, good script, explores the tragedy of Orton and Halliwell's relationship, but lacks imagination. The tickets are fairly pricey at £18 per head.

Actors of particular note are Valerie Cutko who plays Peggy Ramsay, (Orton's agent), and Simon Kingsley who plays Kenneth Williams. The play was written by Richard Silver and Sean J Hume and directed by Tim McArthur.

Hidden In Plain Sight - Jane Allen Petrick

The Story Of Normal Rockwell

Norman Rockwell's vision of the USA was not all white. As early as 1936, Rockwell was showing people of color with sympathy and a dignity usually withheld from people of colour back then. Normal Rockwell developed these portraits from live painting sessions held at his studio.

Hidden in Plain Sight tells the story about the other people in Norman Rockwell's America. It shows the stories of the Asian, African, and Native Americans who posed for Norman Rockwell. These people were often concealed, though patently obvious from Rockwell's body of work.

There are more than 4000 illustrations in Rockwell's portfolio. People like the John Lane household, Navajos poignantly depicted in the almost unidentified Norman Rockwell painting, "Glen Canyon Dam." Individuals like Isaac Crawford, a 10 year-old black kid who was a precursor to the Boy Scout calendar.

In this enlightening narrative, Jane Allen Petrick explores exactly what motivated Norman Rockwell to slide people of colour "in to the picture" to begin with. And in so doing, she persuasively documents the well-known illustrator's deep dedication to and pointed imitations of multiculturalism, imitations that up to now have been, as Rockwell biographer Laura Claridge puts it, "bizarrely overlooked".

Jane Allen Petrick tells the story using an easy, flowing narrative, the style conversational, and deceptively 'laid-back'. Petrick is a sharp social observer and her wry sentences stand out, as do her more poignant descriptions of the people Norman Rockwell saw when all around him were blind.

Rockwell suffered psychologically, and spent his life trying to crawl out from under the rock of media oppression. If he, as an artist, was repressed, how much more so were the subjects of his intriguing paintings; the people who were 'hidden in plain sight'.

Wonderful story. I found myself reading this book from cover-to-cover in one or two days. Unusual for me.

About the author.

Jane Allen Petrick is the author of several publications on subjects ranging from biograpy to work environment issues. She was a bi-weekly columnist for the Knight Ridder Wire service, and her short articles have appeared in many outlets such as the New York Times, the Denver Post and the Washington Post.

Born and raised in Connecticut, Jane earned a BA in economics from Barnard College and obtained her Ph.D. in business psychology from Saybrook College. Retired as a vice-president of ATT Wireless, she is now the vice-president of Informed Decisions International and an adjunct professor at Capella College. Jane has provided assessment in business habits and diversity and ability to many business clients such as IBM, Nextel and Xerox.

Jane is Longstanding and enthusiastic supporter of cultural and historic preservation, she has contributed to neighborhood preservation efforts in both Florida and NYC State. She belongs to The Villagers, the earliest preservation society in South Florida, and is the writer of all the Miami strolling tours for PocketGuides. A qualified trip supervisor, Jane conducts cultural ancestry trips on the East Coast, from the Everglades to the Maritimes.

3 Factors To Consider When Installing A Media Room

If you are planning of installing a media room, there are a number of important factors that you need to consider to ensure that your installation is successful. The main factors that you need to consider are:

Space and dimensions

Before you plan your media room you need to ask yourself where the media room will be located in your home. For you to come up with the answer you need to consider the equipment that you want to put in the room.

Some of the things that you need in the media room include: specialized sound control, larger than life television, and luxury seating units that will give your room a complete "theater" experience.

You can update an existing room in your home or you can build a new room-it all depends on your budget.

Technology

For your room to give you the "theater" experience you should ensure that you have the right technology. The first thing that you should consider is the Television. For a true home theater experience, you should have a television that it's at least 6' wide. You can also consider installing a projector or a retractable screen.

If you consider going with the television, you should ensure that you are able to sit back from your TV 2-3 times the screen size of your television and get optimal viewing performance.

You should select your screen size depending on the "aspect ratio" or the shape of your TV. The right aspect ratio depends on the kinds of programs that you want to watch.

If you are unsure of the right aspect ratio that you should choose, there are many online and offline resources that you can visit and get all the information that you need.

In addition to television you also need to ensure that you choose the right sound. To be on the safe side you should install a 5.1 surround sound system.

Décor and comfort

The décor in your media room is all about comfort and relaxation; therefore, you should ensure that you have comfy couches and recliner. You should also have accent tables to store snacks and drinks.

To diffuse sound in the room, you should have well designed window coverings, artistic sound panels, area rugs, and audio diffusers.

In conclusion, you need to know that when you are setting your media room you are not simply installing a new television, but a whole new technology.

For ideal results you should always consider hiring a professional who will professionally install the technology for you.

By Raeesha Bisht

How Art Paintings Change Your Lifestyle

Art Paintings are considered as masterpieces and when you opt to use them; they change your lifestyle completely. They can be inserted in your homes, offices and anywhere else you want to place them. Once you put them in your settings, you will notice that they give an entirely different look of your settings, the attractive look of them will attract the visitors to a great deal. Probably you have noticed that walls without them look like as empty pieces. When these walls either in your home, office or any setting are well decorated with paintings their impression improves a lot. You need to choose unique paintings and it will provide you a lavish look.

In homes while walls are decorated with these art paintings, the entire look of your settings is changed over. You can have art paintings for your living room, you can get art paintings for your bed room, and for TV launch you can get the art paintings. You can have art paintings for your children's rooms. Every set of these art paintings will be different from the others. Specialized artists and painters do produce them over by knowing your needs. Such as the art paintings which are meant to be used over in bed rooms will be different from the one which are supposed to be used in the living rooms. So as the paintings for children's rooms will be entirely different from the paintings supposed to be used in TV launches. Every set of painting has its own purpose and its utility.

You can decorate your offices with these paintings; the offices give an entirely awesome look when the paintings are set over there. When the customers visit your office they get a great experience. The lavish look of your offices is a source of attraction to attract the customers towards your business. You may try the paintings from renowned artists; every room of office needs to have its own settings. Likewise on reception you need to put in a different painting and while in CEO's office, the requirement would be different. You can have different settings for managing director's room and in operations area you need to try different settings. Every different person has the different motivation levels and set of targets and he/she should be addressed in the same manner.

While you are studying at the moment, you may think of paintings which are best suitable for your class room. The class room can be decorated with the help of art paintings, though students have their own mindset and mentality and they have their own motivation level and targets. At the time they are addressed in the way they want to gain the attention, the motivation level increases over to a great limit. These paintings are very helpful in increasing your motivation level.

For different categories of public different sorts of paintings are suitable and while selecting a painting you need to have better understanding about their interests.

By Hammad Arshad

Plaster Is Casting Material of Choice

When you think about making casts, one of the first materials that come to mind is plaster. Indeed, plaster is one of the most commonly used casting materials as it suits almost all kinds of casting applications.

Casting plaster is a water based material which is both easy to mix and simple to work with. Furthermore, it is cheap, readily available and sets quickly which further adds to its popularity in the world of mold making and casting. In fact, life casting artists invariably opt for plaster as their final casting medium. Not only this, bandages made from plaster are regularly used to support alginate or even rubber molds and thus form mother molds. Plaster bandages are sometimes even placed directly on the body to make molds like in the case of belly casting.

But, the soft and chalky nature of regular plaster is not entirely suitable for plaster casting. This is why additives like lime, cement, magnesium oxide and glass fillers are added to regular plaster to improve its strength, resistance, durability and permeability and thus make it better cast-able. The plaster is also treated with heat and the final substance yields crisp detail and can be sculpted easily as well.

Coming to the actual plaster casting, plaster is quite user friendly but needs to be mixed properly. It has to be mixed with water, in a large bucket to avoid accidental spillage. Use the traditional time tested method for mixing-the "island meth." Measure out the water needed in a large pocket. Then slowly add the powdered plaster to the surface. Continue adding until the plaster forms an "island" in the center of the pocket and covers 2/3rds of the surface. You are best off mixing by hand (use rubber gloves) so you can feel and crush any lumps. The mixture should be smooth and about the viscosity between heavy cream and yogurt.

If you are using traditional casting plaster (as opposed to quick setting dental plaster) another benefit in plaster casting is that plaster takes about half an hour to set, so you don't have to unnecessarily rush with the casting process. But you also have to be careful as plaster undergoes a chemical reaction which makes it heat up while setting. In a krage quantity, this can even burn the skin and that's why plaster is used only for casting and not applied directly on the face or other body parts. It is advisable to wear gloves while mixing and pouring as well.

When pouring the plaster into the cast, go slow to avoid leaving air bubbles anywhere. Shaking the mold a little will also release any air bubbles that may have got trapped inside. Now wait for it to cure before demolding the plaster casting gently.

For the cleanup part, it is better to rinse out the mixing bucket and mixers before the plaster can set. But don't wash it down a drain as that will clog as well. Instead, pour it into a plastic bag and throw it away after it sets.

By Aarron Barry

Will Your Dog or Cat Have a Meltdown on July 4th Because of Fireworks? The Cure Follows

Does your dog seem to experience panic anxiety when he or she experience loud noises such as thunder, lightning, and fireworks? Does your dog or your cat for that matter start to shave and quiver? Hide under furniture or behind furniture? Cower in the bathroom near the toilet. My dog, Rosco, barked from behind the couch when visitors made a lot of noise knocking on the front door.

Symptoms of Stress

If you see any of these signs, your animal is experiencing storm or loud noise phobia. There is a litany of other symptoms that you may see: your dog is pacing; your dog is looking for a place to hide; your dog pees on the floor; your dog is a nervous wreck; your dog looks at you with big brown eye that say "Please do something, just don't sit there!"

A True Story

And how do you feel about all of this? Do you wish that you had a possible solution up your sleeve? Well, I've been there and done it. I've felt like racing to the vet through a howling storm, where all the traffic lights in my town and the next were down. I actually did this, and intersections were a gamble on living or not because there were other crazy people on the road, but not all were headed to their vet. Yes, there were a few close calls. And what did the vet do? The vet prescribed some mild medicine for Roscoe. So, that's one solution: doggy medicine to calm raw nerves.

Other Possible Solutions?

1. Hug Therapy--Maybe your dog just needs some extra hugs and reassurance. Snuggle up in a blanket and whisper soothing words to your dog. Don't feed them a stack of treats. This might reinforce the behavior that you want to see fade. Just let your four-legged family member know it loved, and the world isn't really ending.

2. Thundershirt Therapy--for your dog or cat-According to the manufacturers, this shirt or sweater is 80% effective in reducing the stress of storms, travel, separation, and other anxiety causing events. Check out what PetSmart.com has to offer you and your four-legged buddy. The odds are in your favor.

3. Be Proactive Therapy -Let rover become used to noise in general, especially if you get your dog as a puppy. Play your CDs periodically in the house over an extended period of time, and from day to day increase the volume, while rewarding him or her with treats. This will develop a liking for music and noise. It won't become a big deal.

4. If All Else Fails Therapy-race through the storm to see the vet, but be careful on the wet, slipper roads. Or better yet, be prepared with mild, safe medicated treats. If prescribed correctly, they will not turn your dog into a four-legged zombie. Certified veterinarians Know what they are doing.

BONUS: Ah, now you can relax, you have solved your dog's problem by implementing one of the above four ideas. So pour yourself a lemonade with lots of ice, and consider writing in your diary or journal how you solved this problem. Enjoy a laugh about the whole situation. If you have any emotional pain left you could even write about traumatized dog to get the pain out.

Does that suggestion sound farfetched? Like I said, I have been there, and here's a poem that I wrote for Picture Poetry on Parade! Yes, it contains bathroom humor, but it also contains a subtle message: if your dog has this problem, it's time to do something about it. And please don't punish your dog for misbehaving. He's not a "bad dog."

The narrator of the poem is a young boy:

THUNDER & LIGHTNING

CRASH! CRACK! CRASH!

RIPPLE, RIPPLE, CRASH!

BOOM! BOOM! CRASH!

PITTER! PITTER CRASH!

RIPPLE. RIPPLE. CRASH!

Most lilely some people

like thunder & lightning

but not little old me.

Even my dog, Rosco,

who's afraid of nothing

is afraid of thunder & lightning--

BOOM! BOOM! CRASH!

PITTER. PITTER. CRASH!

He hides under the table--

CRASH! CRACK! CRASH!

RIPPLE. RIPPLE. CRASH!

He wants no business with...

Okay, this is a pretty long poem. It's only halfway there. I think that I will stop here. I am sure that you already figured out what happens next. Right? The rest of it is in Picture Poetry on Parade!



By Joe Sottile

Hand Made, Artistic Community Life in the Old World

There is a photo of my great-grandmother, Anna Nowak Novatne Horn, holding my grandfather, Alfred Sigmund Horn, in his dress-up outfit. At that time, boys were kept in dresses until they were several years old. The year was 1903.
The dress is of thin fabric covered with embroidery.

Three years later, at the age of four, the young man proudly showed off his new rifle! People grew up fast in the mountains of Colorado.

The dress that Anna is wearing is made of several types of lace combined, and she is wearing an apron made of thin fabric with tucks and lace at the bottom. She had made the whole outfit herself, having learned fine needlework skills at a young age. Her high collar, typical of the attire worn by a young mother in those times, would have been a job in itself to keep tidy and starched. It was all in a day's work for the wife of a country doctor.

She had married my great-grandfather, Alfred Daniel Horn, in New York before they headed west to Colorado in the 1890s. He had sung his way through medical school by performing as a soloist at Trinity Cathedral.

The Novatne and Nowak families emigrated from Prague in Bohemia during the 1860s. They were masters of wood carving, and textile arts, as well as other types of hand creations that were of high refinement and very much in demand for the homes of the wealthy. The Novatnes were costume makers for the Vaudeville show business tradition in New York, as well as being active in the intellectual life of the region. Anna spoke six languages.

The family traditions of art and wood carving held for many generations, and clans of artists lived together sharing their resources. These types of community interactions formed the core of artistic life for generations in old Bohemia. Those who had skills passed them along to the younger members of the clan. People shared what they could gather in gratitude and joy.

There would be a large gathering each day at meals to share whatever had come to the family. This tradition of sharing made sure that everyone had what was needed in life. In this way, clans of artists made their way for centuries in whatever types of circumstances came along. The table would be decorated splendidly with hand made linens and all types of ornaments, to assure everyone had a place among whatever wealth had been accumulated.

Planning a Company Picnic

When planning a company picnic, as in planning any special event, answer the questions "who, what, when, where?"

Who?

Company picnics are designed to be fun, outdoor events that allow company employees and their families to mix and mingle socially in a relaxed setting. From the company's point of view the picnic is a service reward and, more importantly, a team building event. The picnic should be structured to encourage employees of all ages to attend with their families. For some age groups this will be more of a challenge than for others. Parents of teenage children will have a more difficult time persuading their children to come to a company picnic unless the parents can explain it to their teenagers that entertainment at the event will be cool and worth sharing.

If the company has less than 45 employees, it will be difficult to stage a picnic. The typical attendance rate is 40% - 50%. This takes into account those who cannot attend due to competing family or social commitments, vacations, etc. If only 25 employees would attend a picnic, even with spouses it becomes difficult to stage games and develop a group dynamic.

Attendance at company picnics has fallen in recent years. For new Canadians a company picnic is unfamiliar and can be intimidating. For more settled employees the picnic may be same-old same-old and boring. Therefore, to be successful the picnic must be planned carefully and designed to appeal to different ages and backgrounds. Few employee social committees have the expertise to pull this off without outside help and a responsible budget.

If the company has more than one factory that normally has it's own picnic, care must be taken when organizing a company wide event. A separate communication team should be in place to coordinate the news of the picnic to each plant and receive feed back. If a plant schedules it's annual summer shutdown at the same time as the picnic, few employees from that location will attend. The shutdown has higher priority than the picnic so be prepared to reschedule the picnic.

Attendees at a company picnic can be broken down into three main groups based their level of physical activity. Invitations to the picnic must take into account the levels of activity that each group will enjoy so that the invitations can be crafted to appeal to each group.

a) The go-go group is between the age of 18 & 28 & will enjoy strenuous physical activity.

b) The slow-go group is both younger and older & will enjoy mid-level activity. (Young children fall into this category).

c) The no-go group is older still & will enjoy a relaxed day in the country.

It's important that senior company executives and their families be present at the picnic. If the picnic is truly to be a team building effort, then all members of the team from the lowest ranking to the highest should be encouraged to be there. More importantly, they should be seen to be there. The president of the company should work the crowd during lunch hour, shake hands with employees, be introduced to their wives and children and smile constantly. Senior executives should play sports on a team, serve food on the buffet line, be dunked in the dunk tank, hand out prizes to winning competitors, and generally act like good hosts. If the company is unionized a shop steward could help cut the cake with the company president. It's a great photo OP. (picnic pictures should appear in company newsletters, Christmas cards and notices to shareholders). These are important benefits when planning a company picnic.

What?

Entertainment, both active and passive, must appeal to the three levels of physical activity referred to before. The go-go group will enjoy volleyball, soccer, relay races, tug of war and other strenuous activity. The slow-go group will enjoy hiking, cycling, a scavenger hunt, miniature golf or a putting green and other mid-level activity.

Young children will enjoy 3 legged races, obstacle courses, blind mans bluff, pin the tail on a donkey, hitting a piñata, mother daughter races, egg in a spoon races, dinosaur egg (watermelon) hunts, arts and crafts, face painting.

Balloon sculptures, inflatable bounce castles, petting zoos and pony rides are always popular.

The no-go group will enjoy wagon rides, chatting with colleagues, reading, and sitting while enjoying the scenery and the relaxed day. Plan extra chairs in the shade for this group. Displays of monster kites, tethered hot air balloons, fire trucks, and rescue dogs are novel.

For all groups the events require supervision and coordination; young children require the most. Make sure that older children are not on the same inflatable toy at the same time as young children. Otherwise, injuries are certain.

Passive entertainment at a picnic is best if drawn from the 19th Century. It should be fun but should also draw the audience together as a group. Singers who encourage sing along participation, stilt walkers, comic magicians who focus on children, jugglers, mimes and clowns are effective. Experiment with a limbo competition, or a Hawaiian dance or jitterbug display that induces audience participation. Audiences can be seated in concentric half moons made of hay bales.

One of the best team builders is the dunk tank. For this to be effective the company president or the VP of HR should be dunked first. However, to build suspense the "victim" must be dressed in a 3 piece business suit. (get one from the Sally Ann). Make a show of how cold the water is. Add a few ice cubes just before the dunking starts when all can see them added. (Make sure the dunk tank water is actually warm, however, and that the ice cubes are just for show).

Prizes are no longer just for competition winners. It's now expected that everyone who participates in a competition gets a prize. These need not be expensive to be effective. The best prizes are handy and monogrammed with the company logo and the date of the picnic: Small Swiss army knives, key chain flashlights, etc.

Picnic Menu

The picnic menu can be an attraction or a disaster. To be the former it must be fun. Start by dealing with the don'ts:

a) Don't serve pork sausage or any other pork product at a picnic in the GTA.

b) Don't serve a 25 cent hotdog to an active adult male and expect them to be satisfied.

c) Don't forget that vegetarians/vegans can be 20% of a guest list. Be creative with salads other than potato/pasta.

d) Don't serve pop to children; it can make them hyper active.

e) Don't hand out beverages in large bottles. They get warm before they get empty.

f) Don't forget fresh fruit and vegetables of the season: e.g. strawberries in June, corn on the cob in August.

g) Don't forget dessert. Ice cold watermelon is great on a hot day.

h) Don't serve coffee; it's simply not popular at a picnic

i) Don't serve salty popcorn; your guests are already thirsty enough

Start with cold drinks and nibbles from the minute that guests arrive. Schedule an ice cream truck for the later stage of the picnic. Allow guests to get into the event and have some fun before food service. On the other hand, don't delay food service so long that guests are starving.

Many companies now invite food trucks to their picnic in addition to a caterer to provide most of the food and to coordinate overall food service. Food trucks are fun and have great menus. But, they serve food slowly and are accustomed to long lineups at their service window. Limit the menu served by each food truck and have at least 2 trucks with different menus per 100 guests.

When

There are 3 options for the season of the year to host a company picnic: spring, summer, fall. There are a further 3 options for the day of the week to host a picnic: Saturday, Sunday, a holiday Monday. Of these, the very best days to hold the picnic are the Sundays during the May 24 and Labour Day long weekends. On both of these Sundays kids are in school and the competition from other social events such as soccer, weddings, vacations, summer camp, cottage getaways, etc. is at a minimum. Summer plant closings are not a factor and the weather is generally perfect for a picnic. Best of all, attendees at a Sunday picnic know that there is no work the next day and they can relax that much more at the event. To secure a venue for these prime dates, book early!!

Start the picnic no later than 11:00 a.m. This gives time for everyone to find the picnic location, park and make their way to the picnic area. If the picnic is held in a conservation area, for example, with multiple pavilions this may take time. Greet guests with nibbles & cold drinks for 90 minutes while games and other entertainment get underway. This allows guests to ease them selves into the picnic with no pressure to do anything except chill & relax. Lunch should be underway by 12:30 and should wrap up by 2:30. This allows for a casual visit rather than a stampede to the food service. It also allows those who are in a competition to enjoy their game rather than worry about lunch. Cold drinks should continue all afternoon and the picnic should end by 4:00 p.m. at the latest. Speeches, presentations and gifts, if any, should be done no later than 1:30 p.m. Guests will start to drift home by 2:30 p.m.

Guests should know that there is a rain date in the event of bad weather. Make sure that there is a means of communicating by e-mail with everyone who has signed up for the picnic. Notice of postponement must go out at least 24 hours before the event.

Where?

The picnic location will be a function of it's size and features. Few parks can or will accommodate a group of 2000. Parking, traffic, washrooms, ease of access are all important considerations. If the picnic is for a company with regional operations, locate the picnic in a spot central to the region. Decide how valuable the picnic is to team building. For example, if the picnic will be held where there is swimming or a splash pool, expect most families with young children to spend the day there, away from the main body of the guests. If many of the guests are slow go or no go, look for a venue with plenty of trees for shade or a hike. If many of the guests are go go, look for soccer fields, baseball diamonds and volley ball nets.

Don't expect expected attendees to travel far or out of their comfort zone for a picnic. Years ago it might have been considered fun to hold a picnic on a farm in the country. Not so likely now. Distances, unfamiliarity with country life and lack of interest in Ontario's rural past will dim attendance at a farm picnic.

Wedding Plan

Make a Wedding Plan

Immediately Upon Engagement Decide on a Wedding Date

There are people you really want at your wedding. Give them as much notice as possible that they should set aside the date for you. If the wedding will involve travel and an over-night stay for guests, it's important to let them know that as soon as possible. It will be helpful for you to get early feedback on who may not be able to attend the wedding.

Set your budget

Your budget is the single biggest wedding decision to make after the decision to get married itself. Consider the range of projects you need or want to take on during your first year of marriage: honeymoon, buy a house, start a family, start or continue post-secondary education, buy a car, travel. Calculate the cost of these projects. The wedding costs will compete with these other projects. Calculate the money you will have from all sources for the wedding and your other projects. This will help establish the maximum amount of money you can spend on the wedding. From this calculation, all other spending decisions about the wedding will follow. It's a terrible idea to borrow any money from any source for your wedding.

Select your bridal party.

There are hundreds of details involved in planning the wedding and in getting through the wedding day.Your bridal party can be a huge help in handling these. Everything from RSVP tracking to picking up the flowers can and should be delegated. Can every member of the bridal party afford a bridesmaid's dress or a tuxedo? Is every member of the bridal party physically fit and mature enough to shoulder the responsibilities involved? Be objective.

Choose your theme. [modern, vintage, classic, rural, contemporary, etc.]

It's your wedding. Within reason and the bounds of good taste you should have what you want regardless of who will pay some of the expenses. Have faith in your own judgment and taste.

First Review & Planning  Session

All the above should happen almost immediately. Once you square away these 4 foundations of your wedding, what follows are estimated time frames for everything to follow. Buy a binder, a hole punch and index tabs to collect & organize these details. Start a spread sheet to track all expenses. This is your wedding plan. Check it & update it often.

12-18 Months Out - Ceremony Location

Your caterer may have suggestions about where to hold your ceremony. You may have seen a pretty location yourself. Since many couples no longer get married in a church many reception locations have a "chapel" or an additional area for a wedding ceremony, . A wedding arch decorated with flowers can make a ceremony setting take shape almost anywhere you want. Will a botanical garden or public park permit wedding photographs? At what charge? What is Plan B in the event of rain?

Reception Location/Caterer

This choice will be a function of a number of things: how many guests you are having, how far they have to travel, what kind of wedding (cocktail, plated service, etc.), your budget and what you both like.

The number of weddings in almost any part of the country is greater than the number of available beautiful reception venues. That means competition for venues and rising prices in a seller's market. (It's called supply and demand). Will a venue permit an outside caterer? Is the outside caterer charged for permission to serve food there? Is there a kitchen that the caterer may use or will food be brought to the venue already prepared hours before dinner? Will a kitchen have to be set up on site? Is the venue air conditioned? Does it have sufficient washrooms, coat check & racks with hangers, parking?

For outdoor weddings, caterers should have a list of beautiful and functional venues. Consider having your wedding on the property of a friend or relative. As farm weddings & country weddings become ever more popular consider rural venues that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture or a local 4H club can suggest.

Cottage weddings on a distant lake are more remote. Consider the expertise of your caterer in providing service well off the beaten path. How well equipped are they for off-site catering? How will the location impact the need for overnight accommodation? Will you need late night transport between the cottage and hotels? Are there Bed & Breakfast Inns in the area where guests can stay close to the wedding? Could the wedding be held at such an Inn instead of at the cottage? Parking and washrooms are critical for a cottage wedding, as is the potential for tense neighbour relations due to traffic congestion, trespass and late night noise.

DJ &/or Band

Your music choice will be a big part of how your celebration turns out. If the music is  too loud older guests will leave early. If you choose the wrong genre of music for your demographic it's no fun. Before you pick a DJ ask if you can drop in on an event he is spinning the tunes for. You'll get a pretty good idea if that D.J. is  for you. The same selection process applies to a band. Attend an event where they will play.. Ask for references and establish firm ground rules about arrival/set-up time, alcohol or drug use before and during the event, dress code, flirting, electrical & space needs, frequency & length of breaks. Plan your play list. You will need to feed the D.J. or band members, (& any other support staff you hire for the wedding). Make sure the caterer provides for this at an agreed upon price.

Photographer

Most photographers have a portfolio you can see to get an idea of their style. Packages with a set price are a good idea even if you are not budget conscious. Give your photographer a copy of the wedding day schedule and make sure he/she can stick with it. Most delays at weddings are the result of a photographer who falls behind & can't stop taking one more shot. You will delay the rest of the wedding if you let the photographer take charge of the schedule. Your guests will be waiting.

Videographer

A nice addition to your wedding memories.

9-12 Months Out

Wedding Dress

Sometimes, brides pick a wedding dress FIRST. But, more often, other  factors such as theme, location, time of year and entertainment sway the dress decision. It may not be your dream to buy a wedding dress that someone else wore before but the potential savings are considerable. After all, you will wear this dress but once. On the other hand you will see it in pictures of the wedding for the rest of your life. You have a right be beautiful on your wedding day.

8-10 Months Out

Bridesmaids Dresses

If you can, get all the girls together for a full day of dress scouting. Keep budgets in mind and go for a style that will flatter a variety of body types. There is no excuse for any member of the wedding party to dress like a tart.

6-9 Months Out

Groomsmen Attire

Quite often the groom will get his rented tuxedo for FREE, since you ordered so many outfits.

Wedding Flowers

Make sure you have a budget in mind before you see your florist. Packages are always available and there is a big range in price, depending on the type of flowers you select and the complexity of the arrangement. Make a list of everyone who will need flowers that day so that you don't forget anyone. Are flowers to go on each guest table, the head table, buffet or other tables? If the wedding will be on a property that your family owns, can the garden be planned a year before the wedding to coincide plant flowers that bloom in time for the wedding?

Centerpieces

You will need a rough idea of how many guests are attending. This tells you how many tables will need centerpieces. Although tall centerpieces are striking, they might make it difficult for guests to see each other over the arrangement. Try for a low, simple arrangement that adds colour but doesn't take up too much space on the table. This is critical for platter or family style service.

For rural or cottage weddings, centre pieces made from birch bark, wood, or natural fibers can be charming. Remember to consider the colours of linens, flowers, dresses. The centre pieces should complement these items. Can you make the centre pieces yourself with help from your friends?

Decorations

If you plan an elaborate themed wedding, you may want the help of a professional wedding decorator. These professionals have access to props and materials that you may have trouble finding. For simple decorations, like tulle and ribbon, you probably have at least one artistic friend that would love to help. Consider lighting as part of the decorations.

Order Invitations and Send invitations.

You need to spend real time considering who to invite without offending any friend or relative. Before inviting anyone you haven't seen or spoken to in years remember that your wedding should be spent with people you care about and who care about you. Be diplomatic when Mom wants to invite her 200 year old great aunt that you've never met. But, be realistic as well.

Proofread the invitations several times. It's hard to correct a printing error on something already in the mail. If the wedding will take place at a cottage or other hard to find location, include a map. Make sure that GPS or Google maps actually help find the location. If they don't, your map & directions should tell people not to use them or else they will get lost. The map should include a "Help" phone number to call on the wedding day. If you create a web site or Facebook page for the wedding, refer to it in the invitation.

Dress Fitting Check

Make sure to weigh yourself before each fitting, so you can keep track close to the wedding day.

Your Wedding Plan

Schedule an evening with your fiancee to track how closely you have kept to your original budget and schedule. If you are way off course, now is the time to correct it.

4-6 Months Out

Book Bridal Shower

Although it's usually a friend or family member who holds this event for you, you should be consulted on the date and location to make sure you will be available that day. You need to balance your role as a guest with your role as the bride at your own shower.

Book Bachelorette Party

This event is also hosted and arranged by a close friend or relative. Don't schedule it too close to the wedding day. Hangovers are not the best way to start your wedding day!

Book Bachelor Party

This party has a reputation for getting out of control. Plan such entertainment as poker, for example, that will keep guests cool and calm.

Master or Mistress of Ceremonies

The seamless flow of the wedding day, both ceremony and reception, will depend on your M.C. He or she has real responsibilities. These include making sure: that the schedule is followed, that guests and suppliers arrive in the right place at the right time, that photos don't run over time, that dinner service is explained, that guests are invited to the buffet table by table, that guest speakers, (including whoever will say Grace before dinner), are introduced and don't run over time and that toasts are presented according to a planned sequence. This is a critical job and cannot be assigned to anyone immature or inarticulate.

3 Months Out

Taste Tests with your Caterer/Venue and your Baker.

A great chance to get a peek at your wedding dinner. Chances are you won't notice food at your own wedding.

Hold Bridal Shower

You need to balance your role as a guest with your role as the bride at your own shower. Be diplomatic in giving an opinion on shower food and décor. Showers are generally held with little or no alcohol. It's unforgivable for anyone to be drunk at a shower.

Hold Bachelorette Party

This will be your last wild ride for the foreseeable future. Have fun and remember the good times.

Hold Bachelor Party

More fun with the guys - enjoy this blast from the past.

Dress Fitting Check

Oops! Time to get back on the stationary bike and eat more salads.

4 Weeks Out

Begin to Finalize Details with Your Vendors.

All your guest responses should be in by now. Finalize guest numbers with your caterer or venue.

Final Dress Fitting Check

Yahoo! It fits!

Make sure you fill out your data sheets with all formalities for your DJ/Band: Music choices, bridal party names, dos and don'ts, etc.

Make salon appointments for manny, peddy, makeup, tanning, hair, etc.

1 Week Out

If you haven't done so already finalize your timeline with your DJ, venue, caterer, photographer, florist and planner (if you hired one). The final timeline should be e-mailed to all of these suppliers. There are no excuses for being late or falling behind schedule.

3-5 Days Out

Pick Up Tuxes

Make sure you pay all your vendors, or prepare the cash/cheques for all your wedding day vendors.

Give the list and chequess to your Best Man or Maid of Honor, so that you don't have to worry about these on your wedding day.

Wedding Day

YOU MADE IT! Be thrilled by the centuries of tradition & the love that you have just shared. Enjoy the day of your dreams.

Next Day

Leave for your honeymoon.

Take some time off from all the rush and just enjoy each other!

Two Weeks after the Wedding

Thank you cards for wedding presents

Check your gift cards to make sure you don't leave anyone out. Get a friend to help double check.

Reference letters & on-line posts for outstanding suppliers.

A great way to reward those people who helped make your day such a success. Don't put this off - these people worked hard for you.